Office of the Historian

64. Memorandum of Conversation1

Moscow, March 30, 1977, 11:15 a.m.–2:15 p.m.

SUBJECT

  • Berlin, Cyprus, Arms Control, CSCE, Bilateral Matters

PARTICIPANTS

  • UNITED STATES
  • Secretary Cyrus R. Vance
  • Ambassador Malcolm Toon
  • Mr. Paul Warnke
  • Assistant Secretary Arthur Hartman
  • Mr. William Hyland
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary Slocombe
  • Mr. William D. Krimer, Interpreter
  • USSR
  • Foreign Minister A.A. Gromyko
  • Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers L.V. Smirnov
  • Deputy Foreign Minister Georgiy Korniyenko
  • Ambassador A.F. Dobrynin
  • Mr. O. Sokolov
  • Mr. V.M. Sukhrodrev, Interpreter

[Omitted here is discussion unrelated to chemical weapons.]

CHEMICAL WEAPONS

Gromyko said that he would like to instruct his representatives in Geneva to suggest that the CCD start drafting the text of an agreement on chemical weapons, provided the United States agreed of course. In the process of drafting, some problems might simply disappear. So far the CCD had indulged in philosophical discussions. This is all he had to say on the subject. (He remarked that this was the briefest statement he had ever made on any issue.)

The Secretary agreed that some progress had been made through discussions between technical people in this area. We were ready and willing to join with the Soviet Union in this initiative. We would see if working on the text of an agreement might not change our respective stand on issues on which we had different views, although our goals were the same.

Gromyko said we should instruct our representatives to get to work.

[Omitted here is discussion unrelated to chemical weapons.]

  1. Source: Department of State, Office of the Secretariat Staff, Special Adviser to the Secretary (S/MS) on Soviet Affairs Marshall Shulman—Jan 21, 77–Jan 19, 81, Lot 81D109, Box 8, Vance to Moscow, March 28–30, 1977. Secret; Nodis. Drafted by Krimer on April 12; reviewed in draft by Hyland; and approved by Twaddell on April 12. The meeting took place at the Kremlin. The memorandum is printed in full in Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. VI, Soviet Union, Document 21. Vance visited Moscow March 28–31.↩